If you regularly find yourself asking customers for the same information, there may be an opportunity for your website to do some of that work for you.
You might already have a contact form that collects a name, email address and message. That is useful, but with a few changes it could gather more of the information you need before you respond.
Online forms can help with quote requests, applications, registrations and requests for services. The best place to start is to look at something you currently spend time doing manually.
Getting the information you need
Think about what happens when someone asks you for a quote.
Do you usually need to reply asking where the job is, what they need done or whether they can send a photo? If those questions come up regularly, they could be included in a quote request form.
For example, a business providing property services might ask for:
- The location of the property.
- The type of work required.
- A description and a few photos.
- When the customer would like the work done.
This gives you a better starting point for the conversation. You may still need to visit the property or discuss the details, but you have more useful information before you get started.
Making applications easier and more accurate
If you currently email people a document to print, fill out and return, an online form may make the process easier for both sides.
One of the key benefits is the accuracy of the information you receive. Handwritten forms can be difficult to read, particularly names, email addresses and phone numbers. If someone then has to copy that information into another system, there is another opportunity for a mistake.
With an online form, people enter their details directly. This reduces the need to interpret handwriting and, where the form connects to your existing system, can also remove the need to enter the same information again.
Clear questions, separate fields and examples of what is required can help people provide more complete and consistent answers. People can still enter incorrect information, but a well-designed form can reduce avoidable errors and the follow-up work needed to sort them out.
People can also upload supporting documents or photos where needed. The form can show different questions depending on the answers given. Someone applying as an individual may need to provide different information from someone applying on behalf of a business.
It is worth thinking carefully about what you need at this stage. A first enquiry should be easy to complete. More detailed information can be collected later if the person decides to proceed.
What happens after the form is sent?
Collecting the information is one part of the process. It is also worth looking at where it goes next.
A form can be set up to send the enquiry to the appropriate person and give the customer a confirmation explaining what happens next.
Depending on the systems you use, there may also be options to pass the information into your customer management or job management software. This needs checking against your particular setup, as some connections are straightforward and others require additional work.
Start with one process
You don’t need to change everything at once.
Choose one task that creates repeated emails, missing information or unnecessary copying. Write down what you need to collect, who needs to receive it and what happens after that.
It may be possible to improve a form already on your website. If your existing office system is working well, we can also look at whether a new form can work with it.
The form should be checked on a phone as well as a computer, and tested through to the point where your team receives the information.
If you have a process that you think could be made easier, get in touch. We can look at how it works now and discuss what your website could do to help.
